Grace & Love
by GuardianAlexio
Summary: Siegfried, freed from his prison, now must find a way to atone for his actions. The majority of Soul Edge was destroyed...but can it truly be stopped? CH3 UP!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any Soul Calibur 2 characters or any rights to anything Namco have in the game. I also do not own the song "Grace and Love." By Kutless.  
  
Summary: Cassandra wanted to take care of Soul Edge on her own, but when she meets the broken warrior who controls the evil blade will she back down or try to fight? What she doesn't realize is that behind the warrior known as Nightmare there is a man struggling for one last chance at redemption.  
  
A Siegfried/Cassandra fic!  
  
"Grace and Love."  
  
"Many things in life are hard for me Many things can pull us down I don't understand Why I do what I do How could I take my eyes off you?  
  
After all you've done for me And after all you've done for me  
  
It's by grace and love I am saved It's by grace and love You've forgiven me And by that love and grace I'm amazed It's by grace and love  
  
I am free."  
  
- Kutless "Grace and Love."  
  
Cassandra watched the beautiful night sky as she stood on the large platform of the Greek shrine. She had traveled far in her search for Soul Edge and the fragments of the evil sword but in the end she missed her family greatly and returned home for a short while.  
  
"Humph...I wonder if I'll ever find it." She whispered as she continued to think to herself. She remembered vaguely a period of time when she thought she had found the sword and its wielder in an abandoned castle, but the sword was nowhere to be seen.  
  
As soon as she stood to return to her home she felt such a strong presence enter the shrine. Gusts of wind began to become unnaturally stronger and Cassandra could already feel shivers as she spotted a figure walking towards her.  
  
'It can't be!' She yelled into her mind as the figure stepped into the light reflected from a nearby torch.  
  
The figure with the inhuman right arm that tightened on the very weapon she had been searching for stopped only a few yards away from her. "Nightmare!" She gasped in fear when she got her voice back from the shock.  
  
"You are one of the many fools trying to stop me." Nightmare said as he began to raise his mighty sword. "Offer your soul to me." He whispered with a deadly cold voice.  
  
"I won't lose to you! I can't!" Cassandra yelled to the dark figure trying to sound brave even though deep down she was praying to the gods that her sister would come to save her. She raised her shield and sword and prepared for battle.  
  
*****  
  
'I have been here...before.' The large knight thought to himself as he raised his giant sword into a battle stance. Memories flashed before his eyes but were soon erased as Soul Edge's power began to flow through him.  
  
'A female warrior...I fought another female here before.' Nightmare thought again as he looked around his surroundings. He tried in vain to remember the battle he had here before. He even tried to remember the woman's name that he fought but nothing came.  
  
The thoughts faded and he began to focus on the present battle. He had been watching the girl follow him closely these past few weeks and when she decided to stop her pursuit he wanted to follow her. And so he followed her to this place, but he had not expected these strange "memories" to arise from this shrine.  
  
Soul Edge began to gather a strong surge of power and Nightmare brought the sword to his chest. "Sword give me strength!" Nightmare having gathered his strength charged forward and tried striking for Cassandra's head. She backed away quickly and avoided the large blade, she watched as the knight turned and brought the sword behind him. He lunged for her and slashed downwards trying to cut her in half. She barely rolled away from his attack and tried kicking at his legs.  
  
She didn't realize her mistake until it was too late. Nightmare raised his large boot and crushed her ankle beneath him. She cried out in pain when she felt the bones in her ankle shatter.  
  
Nightmare chuckled as he looked down at the wounded woman. "Pitiful. You weren't even worth my efforts." He leaned down and grasped her by her neck and lifted her up. He tightened his grip around Cassandra's neck and watched as she began to lose consciousness.  
  
She tried to mount one last attack and in a swift movement lifted her shield and hit Nightmare directly in the head. Because of he impact his helmet was knocked off his head and he dropped her to the ground as well.  
  
When she looked back into the warriors face she no longer saw burning red eyes but she saw flowing blonde hair and the eyes of the warrior her sister had told her about. Sophitia had told her many stories about a warrior she had met on her quest for Soul Edge. Sophitia said she tried to help the warrior regain his sanity.  
  
Sophitia also told her that if her sister were to ever meet the same warrior, that Cassandra was to try to save him just as Sophitia had tried.  
  
So Cassandra was no longer looking into the demon knight's red eyes, but looking into the warrior's eyes that she had been destined to help. She was looking at the one yellow one blue eyes of Siegfried. Nightmare was no longer standing before her, Siegfreid was.  
  
'Siegfried is Nightmare...and Nightmare is...Siegfried?'  
  
Authors notes: This shouldn't be a very long fic maybe a chapter or two more. Please review and tell what you think. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any Soul Calibur 2 characters or any rights to anything Namco have in the game.  
  
Summary: Cassandra now realizes that the deadly warrior Nightmare is the same warrior that is known as Siegfried Schtauffen. Four years prior, Sophitia, Cassandra's sister, tried to save Siegfried but failed...Can her sister do what she could not?  
  
"Grace & Love."  
  
Cassandra looked up into Nightmare's now uncovered face. Her fears had to be correct, this was the warrior known as Siegfried. She tried fiercely to stand but the pain in her ankle was too great.  
  
"Worthless scum! I'll kill you and rip your soul from your body!" Nightmare screamed as he looked back down at the woman. He raised his sword to attack her again.  
  
"Die!" He raised the sword above his head and slashed forward. Cassandra closed her eyes, fearing for her life. Unknown even to herself, she began to whisper the only words that came to mind.  
  
"Sophitia, help me." As the words left her mouth she felt the wind from the blade brush against her face. After many long seconds and feeling no pain Cassandra opened her eyes to see the blade mere inches from her face.  
  
She looked into the eyes of the warrior and saw the confusion in his eyes. His eyes showed signs that he was trying to remember something.  
  
"...That name...what was that name?...Who is that?" Nightmare's voice no longer held the cold fierceness it usually did. At Cassandra's silence Nightmare became more frantic for answers. "Tell me!"  
  
"Sophitia. She is my sister. Four years ago she traveled in search of Soul Edge, and she told me she met you."  
  
"She met...me?" Siegfried looked to the ground trying hard to remember his forgotten memories. "Sophitia..?"  
  
******  
~Flashback~  
  
A woman with long blonde hair jumped at him, her sword and shield raised to attack. He raised the demonic blade to defend against her blow. Once the two blades hit, it was his that won and pushed her away from him.  
  
She landed on her feet and looked at the dark knight. "The sword is pure evil! It controls you! This is not who you really are!"  
  
Nightmare chuckled and looked at the blonde female warrior. "Explain your foolish theories." Sophitia gaze lightened. "I can see it in your eyes. Behind those blood red eyes are confusion, a desire to remember who you really are. The sword has taken over your body, but not your mind. You are not this monster that stands before me."  
  
Nightmare was somewhat surprised at the woman's words. 'She is wrong, I am Nightmare! I am the Azure Knight!' Yet as he thought this, something else came into his mind. One single word appeared into his mind and would not go away. 'Siegfried.'  
  
Nightmare grasped his head as pain soured through his mind. Why could he not remember? "Siegfried...My name is Siegfried..?" He did not sound too confident in himself.  
  
"That sword has taken you over. You are Siegfried, not Nightmare!" His anger began to rise again at the woman, but it was also pointed to himself for not knowing what was happening in his mind.  
  
"Silence woman! You know nothing!" Nightmare screamed at Sophitia as he clutched his head. He desperately searched his mind for answers. 'Why can I not remember anything before I acquired Soul Edge? What has happened to my memories?'  
  
He brought the sword up in front of him so he could look into the demonic eye that was on the blade. He felt a sudden rush of evil energy flow through him. That is when he understood, the sword had been feeding him energy this entire time, all the while deleting memories from his mind.  
  
'The sword IS evil!' Siegfried threw the sword against the far wall of the shrine as he willed the bond between he and the sword to be broken. He felt the power of the sword leave him and he fell to the ground unconscious.  
  
*****  
  
Once Siegfried awoke he was still lying in the shrine from earlier, but it was night as he saw from looking outside. He felt a wet cloth oh his face, and he felt the presence of another person beside him. He looked up to see the same blonde woman who he was fighting before.  
  
"Your finally awake, I was beginning to worry about you." The woman said as she smiled down at him.  
  
"...I...I want to thank you...for helping me. My real name is Siegfried Schtauffen."  
  
"There is no need to thank me, you are the one that freed yourself from the swords control." Once she said that, Siegfried turned to look and the sword remained where it was when he threw it.  
  
"If it were not for your words, I would have never realized the truth." Siegfried began to feel the memories flood into his mind. Many memories of which he didn't want to remember, his fathers death played through his eyes. The deaths of so many people that he killed as Nightmare.  
  
He closed his eyes trying to slow the flow of memories making their way into his mind. He tried concentrating on the woman before him.  
  
She smiled at him again when she noticed him looking at her. "Oh, I almost forgot my name is Sophitia Alexandra." Siegfried tried to understand her reason for helping him.  
  
"Why did you try to help me?" Sophitia took the wet cloth from his head and placed it by her side. She took a deep breath, and tried to think of a good answer.  
  
"To tell the truth, I don't understand myself. I just could tell in your eyes that you were not the monster that you showed on the outside." Siegfried nodded his head, accepting her answer.  
  
'Thank you Sophitia.' Siegfried thought as he closed his eyes preparing himself for more rest. But before he went to sleep he barely heard her silently whisper.  
  
"I will try my hardest to save you Siegfried. No man deserves to be controlled as you were." After hearing that, Siegfried fell into a slumber filled with nightmares and hopes of redemption.  
  
~ End Flashback ~  
  
*****  
  
Siegfried looked down at the woman at his feet and was shocked at the resemblance to her sister. Siegfried shook with anger as he looked at the sword in his grasp.  
  
With a scream of rage, Siegfried lifted the sword high into the air and began to smash it against the hard shrine floor. He felt the sword scream in pain and try to stop him, but Siegfried was not to be denied. 'I WILL DESTROY THIS ACCURSED SWORD ONCE AND FOR ALL!'  
  
"How dare you try to control me again! I will make sure you never harm another human again!" He smashed the sword against the ground again, and felt the blade crack. The blade shattered and he felt the life drain from it.  
  
Once Siegfried saw that the blade was destroyed he released the hilt and fell to his knees. He had been taken over again, even after all of Sophitia's efforts to save him.  
  
He returned to his feet and walked over to Cassandra, who was still quite surprised at Siegfried's actions. "Please...allow me to help you." Siegfried said with a weak voice. Apparently his emotional state was weak after being released from Soul Edge's power.  
  
Cassandra nodded her head and Siegfried gently lifted her into his arms. He walked over to a large pillar and set her up against it. He inspected the injuries he had given her, the most major wound was the broken ankle.  
  
"I will try to help you as best I can." Siegfried said silently, he lowered his head as he felt tears burn his eyes. "I can only beg your forgiveness..."  
  
He felt her raise his chin to look at her. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment before she finally spoke. "Siegfried...you're finally free."  
  
Authors notes: I'm glad to see people are reviewing and I thank you all. I will probably be ending this story soon with the next chapter or two. I have not yet decided if I want to continue this with an Action packed big story, but I am still considering what to do. Again thanks and I look forward to see more reviews.  
  
Until next time! 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own any Soul Calibur 2 characters or any rights to anything Namco have in the game.  
  
Summary: Siegfried has been freed from the control of Soul Edge, but now that he has found peace again, can he hold onto it? Or will the evil of the sword still have an effect on him?  
  
"Grace & Love"  
  
Sophitia hummed a tune to herself as she sat by her garden watching and caring for her beautiful flowers. Rothian watched her from afar and smiled. 'Oh how I enjoy this life. I thank the gods for every moment I share with her.'  
  
Their children Pyrrha and Patroklas were chasing each other in the yard. Rothian again smiled as he watched his entire family, these were the days he truly cherished.  
  
Then he heard his small son's voice call out. "Auntie is back!" Sophitia and Rothian turned to where their son was pointing. Sophitia gasped when she saw her little sister, injured, being carried by a familiar looking warrior.  
  
"Cassandra!" Rothian called as he ran forward to retrieve her from the arms of the warrior. The blonde haired warrior shook his head and would not allow her to be taken from his arms. Sophitia came forward and spoke.  
  
"Sister what happened to you?" Sophitia asked, as she looked her sister from head to toe for injuries. Then she noticed the large dark spot on her sister's bare foot.  
  
"I was in a battle with Nightmare." She responded evenly smiling at her older sister. That is when Sophitia got a full glance at the blonde warrior who carried her. His piercing blue eyes brought images to her mind, and as quickly as they flashed she connected them images to the face.  
  
"Siegfried..."  
  
The warrior nodded his head to her as she finally remembered. Cassandra again smiled at her sister. "Yes, we battled for a moment, but then he was able to free himself from Soul Edge's control."  
  
"...I...am truly sorry for wounding your sister...I apologize for harming your family..." Sophitia nodded her head at his apologies.  
  
"Siegfried, there is no need to be sorry. I understand that you were not in control of yourself. I am glad to see you free."  
  
Siegfried could feel a smile come to his lips. 'I cannot believe that they would still try to befriend me...even after every thing that I have done.' Siegfried was allowed inside where he laid Cassandra on a seat. He examined her ankle again to make sure it had not become worse.  
  
"Your ankle is not as injured as I originally thought; you should be able to walk in a week or two." He said as he raised back up to his feet. He felt someone coldly stare at his back and turned to see the man from before standing there.  
  
Rothian's eyes held a fierce distrust as the men locked eyes. "So you were once Nightmare...The Azure Knight, correct?"Siegfried lowered his eyes and nodded slowly.  
  
"I was."  
  
"You wielded the evil sword Soul Edge?" Rothian asked his voice still holding coldness for the warrior.  
  
Siegfried silently answered. "I did."  
  
Now Rothian almost shouted, as he became angry. "You killed hundreds of innocent people, just to feed the thirst of your damn blade...did you not!?!"  
  
Siegfried was getting tired of Rothian's questions, but he knew this is what he deserved. "Rothian, he did not mean to do those things!" Sophitia yelled to her husband trying to defend Siegfried.  
  
"Yes...I did."  
  
"Then you should not be allowed into this house! You should be killed for your actions to make sure you never harm another life again!" Rothian screamed in a rage that even shocked Sophitia.  
  
"Don't you dare say that about him!" Cassandra yelled at Rothian as she stood from her seat. Her ankle would not support her, and she fell forward. Siegfried quickly turned and caught her, but her angry eyes never left Rothian's.  
  
"Don't blame him for things that Soul Edge forced him to do! He never deserved to be controlled the way he was." Cassandra said as she continued to lean against Siegfried. Her eyes still locked onto Rothian matching his fierce gaze.  
  
Rothian quickly became quiet, and in a rage quickly left the house to return outside. Sophitia turned to her guest. "I am sorry Siegfried, but my husband has never acted this way before."  
  
"It is all right...for in truth...he is right." Both Cassandra and Sophitia looked at Siegfried with a surprised expression on their faces. Siegfried continued to look at the ground, clearly in a state of turmoil.  
  
"I killed hundreds, I truly do not deserve to live for the horrible actions I have done." Cassandra looked at Siegfried fiercely, her gaze strong and never wavering.  
  
"How can you say that? You do not deserve to be treated that way. You still have a chance of redemption...you just have to believe in yourself." Siegfried's depressed expression never changed until this moment, when it changed to anger.  
  
"You may be able to forgive me...but I cannot forgive myself! I deserve to be hated! I have no purpose, I can only live now...to try to atone for the evil I have caused."  
  
Sophitia at this point decided to join in the conversation. "How do you plan to atone for what you have done Siegfried?"  
  
Siegfried's expression showed he had already decided his fate at this point. " I will return to the shrine and gather what little fragments of Soul Edge that are left. I will then find somewhere to hide them, and guard them for the remainder of my life. I have to do this...to make sure no one ever experiences the evil of Soul Edge again."  
  
"And why can't you just fully destroy the sword? It looked like you already destroyed most of it." Cassandra asked, recalling the vision of the sword shattering under the pressure of Siegfried's wild swings.  
  
Siegfried smirked, a cold and unemotional look in his eyes. "I wish it were that easy...but though Soul Edge is still a sword...its a pure creation of dark and evil energy. It can be weakened...but in truth, the sword can never be killed. The being that lives inside the blade is a demon created from death and destruction, and he can never be killed."  
  
"So it can never be stopped?" Cassandra asked, her now quiet voice seeking answers. "Never." Siegfried answered while shaking his head.  
  
"So you will guard it to make sure it never falls into the hands of anyone else...but what will happen after you have lived out your life?" Sophitia asked as she was fully beginning to understand.  
  
"When Soul Edge chooses a wielder...it tends to make sure the wielder is given certain abilities. As far as I know...because of wielding the sword...I have been enhanced in many ways. My strength, speed, and skills have all increased, and even my lifespan. I will most likely outlive all of you by a hundred years..."  
  
The sisters became deathly silent as they listened to Siegfried's words. He turned to the door and was beginning to walk outside. "I must return to the temple and collect the fragments of Soul Edge. I thank you for freeing me, from its grasp...but now I must leave. Good bye."  
  
"Wait!" Cassandra yelled out. "Don't leave yet. You have no need to worry about Soul Edge, no one ever travels to the shrine except my sister and myself. Please stay for a while longer."  
  
"I must..."  
  
"You owe me...you said you would help me as best you could, and I am still injured...because of you." Cassandra said, hoping to make Siegfried feel just enough guilt to make him stay.  
  
He remained silent for a few moments, trying to decide what to do. "Please." Cassandra pleaded one last time, hoping that he would agree. Siegfried sighed and turned to the hopeful woman and nodded. "Very well, I promised to help you so I will stay. But only until your injury heals."  
  
Cassandra smiled at him and nodded. "Very well, until my ankle heals then." Siegfried turned to Sophitia, a troubled look upon his face. "Where exactly, will I stay?"  
  
Sophitia too smiled at the blonde warrior. "We'll find room for you."  
  
*****  
  
So the boy he hated with his entire soul was now free from the blades control. A smirked reached his lips, as he saw the glimmer of the blades reflection from the moonlight. 'Finally, you shall be mine once again.'  
  
He had followed the boy all the way to a shrine in Greece. There he battled a young woman and was somehow released from the blades control. 'This works even better for me...now I shall gain my full power.'  
  
Cervantes let out a laugh filled with cruel intentions. "Minions gather all the fragments and bring them to me." Cervantes turned to look upon his two most trusted warriors.  
  
First was the giant axe wielding Astaroth, who after a fierce battle with a warrior named Maxi should by all rights be dead. Cervantes remembered though that Astaroth had once worked with Nightmare to empower the evil sword. 'If the brat could get Astaroth to work for him, then I should be able to make him worship me.'  
  
And worship him Astaroth did, after being resurrected by the pirate, Astaroth swore an oath to be loyal to Cervantes and him alone. As proof of the oath, Astaroth massacred the entire cult that had created him.  
  
Once Cervantes had given new life to Astaroth, he also planted a shard of the evil sword into Astaroth's body. Now Astaroth wielded even more power and strength then ever before.  
  
The next warrior, Cervantes was truly proud of, for in a way it was like having a son work with you. The warrior, who was already gathering pieces of Soul Edge off the temple floor, was created from Cervantes own flesh and blood.  
  
By using his own flesh and blood, he took the body of a fierce Asian warrior and combined his flesh and a large piece of Soul Edge that he still wielded. In doing this he created a mighty warrior, that he named Diaz.  
  
The black cloak he wore around himself covered Diaz's black hair. He turned back to his master, holding the hilt of the evil sword against his chest along with many other pieces. His subtle grayish white eyes showed no emotion, as he placed the fragments of Soul Edge at Cervantes's feet.  
  
Astaroth too brought all the fragments he collected to Cervantes. The pirate nodded to both his minions and they back away a few steps. Cervantes grabbed the hilt of the broken sword and unsheathed his own portion of Soul Edge. He combined the two pieces and a bright light began to form around his sword.  
  
He laughed as he felt the evil radiate off of his new sword. The sword remained the size of his original one-handed sword, but he could feel new power flow through the blade. He then took two of the largest pieces of the shattered blade and merged them with his other blade, Nirvana.  
  
Now both his blades had an unmatched power. He then took turns and placed another fragment into each of his swords until there was only three fragments left.  
  
He turned to his minions. "Astaroth, take this piece of Soul Edge, and do with it what you want." He handed a piece to his larger warrior, who then bowed before Cervantes and turned back to his place.  
  
"Diaz...take these two pieces and do with them anyway you want." Cervantes handed him the remaining two pieces. Diaz stepped forward and took both the pieces into his hands.  
  
"Yes, master." Diaz's quiet but deadly voice answered. He then reached to his back where his weapon was strapped and took the deadly weapon into his hands.  
  
Cervantes remembered Diaz calling it a 'Double Voulge.' It was a long metal pole with two curved blades on each end. Diaz placed a fragment in each blade of his weapon. The weapon flashed a bright white light, before it seemed to change into a smaller version of Soul Edge. A demonic eye even opened on one of the blades of his weapon.  
  
Cervantes again laughed, as his plans had finally been fulfilled. "Now nothing upon this world can stop us, not even Soul Calibur! And our first target...will be that wretched brat...I will make him suffer..."  
  
"Beware...I will rip your soul from your body...Siegfried..."  
  
~End~  
  
Authors notes: I believe this will be the end of this portion of the story. I will continue this, but probably as another fic. I wanted to get this out of the way because it will set up some major things later on. A Sieg/Cass relationship will begin to bloom, and a serious bad-guy (being Cervantes) has been introduced into the story. Things can only intensify at this point...Look for more by me soon. Oh and by the way, Diaz is the only created person I have added at this point...There may be more sometime later but who knows...Besides I only made Diaz because I needed another bad- guy.  
  
Well that's it for now and I plan to make more...Oh and thanks for the reviews! :) Later! 


	4. Authors Notes

Authors Notes:  
  
I would like to apoligize to all of you who have reviewed my story "Grace & Love" for waiting as long as you have. For I have been in a major school related problem and have not had time to post my sequel. I can only ask that you wait a little bit longer...and say sorry a thousand times over...  
  
While I'm at it, I'd like to thank all those who reviewed...  
  
Jays Arravan - Who was the first to review my story...I thank you.  
  
Thomas Fitzgibbons - I understand that I may be rushing my story...and I plan to slow things down once I get to the majority of the plot.  
  
Rachridgeback - Thank you...and I don't know what I may add to the story...and if I do write a lemon...it will be much later...even though I don't think lemons are good for dragon-transforming-12-year-old-cyborg- girls as you put it... :)  
  
Herofox - I thank you greatly for your constant reviews and support. You have been a great help in supporting me through this story.  
  
I would also like to thank Chyouno. You commented that you did not approve of the couple in my story, but yet you also said that I make it seem almost possible...I thank you for your opinion even if it isn't the same as mine. Please continue to support whatever story you like as I will with the stories I enjoy...But please understand...that if you find this couple to be too disturbing or unrealistic. I am not forcing you to read it....  
  
Anyway...thank you all for your reviews and please wait just a while longer. My sequel should be finished and released soon. Until then...farewell! 


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